Evolve is an upcoming and hotly anticipated sci-fi cooperative first person shooter / 3rd person action game that is currently in development by Turtle Rock Studios who are perhaps better known for their work on the smash hit titles, Counter Strike and Left 4 dead, both of which are property of Valve Corporation.
The game, which is set to be running on the CryEngine (from Crytek) is lined up to be published by 2K games at some point during the Fall of 2014, there is no specific date yet. When launched the game will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.
Like a number of games that are set to come out this year, they were initially set to be published under the now defunct developing and publishing body, THQ. THQ however were declared bankrupt and eventually liquidated its assets. The development cycle of Evolve began with Turtle Rock Studios, and soon after on May 11th 2011 THQ acquired the rights to publish their upcoming first person shooter which was at the time, without a name and scheduled for a launch some time in 2013.
During the liquidation process of THQ’s assets, their documentation made reference to a title in development called Evolve which will be a co-op multiplayer action game codenamed Evolve. During the liquidation process and asset auction the publishing rights for Evolve were acquired by the current holder 2K Games for $10.8 million (US).
Before the publishing rights changed hands, THQ’s Danny Bilson (former THQ Boss) expressed his excitement for the title. He revealed that it has an incredible design and he can’t wait till they share the concepts of that game. He also praised the development team stating that “those guys are really smart. They were the Left 4 Dead team and that was fun. This one’s wild. I can’t wait to share that one. People are going to go nuts.”
Later in the year at some time in October, it was accidentally revealed that the game would be running on the famously powerful CryEngine. This reveal came in the form of a job listing that lead to a tweet confirming it. The tweet read, “Yes, its all true. We are using CryEngine 3 for our next title, and yes, it’s going to be awesome,”.
The first official reveal of Evolve (not including teaser art work) came from the popular monthly game magazine Game Informer who ran a large spread and cover story that detailed the games features and mechanics in February of 2014. Alongside this, the magazine also made the announcement that alongside the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 there would be a PC version running on Microsoft Windows. They also dropped the news that the title would be launching towards the Fall of 2014.
The gameplay of Evolve follows a simple concept that allows for a much deeper gameplay element than may be apparent at first. Players are divided into a team of Hunters and a Monster. These 5 person matches make team work and unit cohesion an absolute must for the 4 man hunter team, whereas the Monster player must understand how the foe is working and react accordingly. As the hunters track the Monster, the Monster can make use of the local creatures. Using them as a source of food will allow the creature to evolve and become considerably stronger, this however comes with the risk of being exposed for a short while.
Griffin the Trapper – The Trapper has an important role on the team, armed with a specialised harpoon gun it’s Griffin’s job to keep the monster in place and tethered to him. The best way for the monster to free themselves from Griffin is to attack him directly, but doing so will of course leave the Monster vulnerable to attack from the other Hunters. His sound spikes will help him track the foe and he even has access to a sub machine gun to use when he isn’t making use of his harpoon gun.
Hank the Support – The Support can employ the energy shield to protect his team mates, when in combat he can use an assault rifle to deal quick damage. His laser cutter deals damages as well as pointing towards the foe making it easier to see. Beside that, he has the orbital barrage, an area of effect attack best used alongside Griffins tethering harpoons.
Val the Medic – Val is the squads healer, her abilities to heal her team mates is perhaps best used in conjunction with Hanks energy shield. She also brings a medgun, allowing her to heal team mates from a distance, her weapon of choice is a supremely powerful anti matter sniper rifle.
Markov, Assault – The Assault trooper Markov. Like any typical assault soldier, he leads from the front laying down heavy fire with his lightning gun that is aptly named and an assault rifle that allows him to pump out a large amount of ammo quickly. He also brings mines to the field, allowing him a degree of tactical use.
Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.
